Bio Award

Bio Award to Biodiversity-Friendly Enterprises for Micro and Small Businesses and the Non-Bank Financial Institutions (NBFI) that support them.

Through its BF-MSME Support Program, the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI), rewards activities that foster biodiversity.

What is the Bio Award?

It involves a cash refund of 20% of the principal of a loan granted by a NBFI or savings and loan cooperative up to a maximum of $10,000.00. Of this amount, 70% is given to the micro or small business owner, and the remaining 30% is given to the NBFI or cooperative that provided the loan and follow-up on the investment.

Beneficiaries:

Micro and small (MSE) enterprise owners who acquire financing to execute projects involving biodiversity friendly activities and businesses with resources from the BF-MSME Support Program.

The non-bank financial intermediaries and cooperatives that provide loans with the Program’s resources and provide follow-up share the Bio-award with the business owners.

What benefits does the Bio-award provide to BF-MSEs?

It encourages the establishment of businesses that conserve biodiversity and are therefore environmentally sustainable.

It enables the generation of new businesses and allows better access to markets for goods and services.

It requires no additional costs for micro and small entrepreneurs or financial institutions that provide credit with resources of the BF-MSME Support Program.

It promotes close follow-up on the loans provided to ensure that Central American business owners and financial institutions produce results that provide significant benefits to biodiversity.

The approval and startup process is agile.

Which Financial Institutions can participate?

NBFIs and Savings and Loan Cooperatives that meet the following eligibility requirements are eligible to compete for the Bio-award:

Be approved by CABEI as a Financial Intermediary.

Have a Valid CABEI Global Credit Line and use the resources of the BF-MSME Support Program.

Deliver the information required by CABEI in a timely, complete and continuous fashion for its follow-up evaluations of loans provided to Biodiversity Friendly Micro and Small Business Owners.

To compete for the Bio-award, the investment of a micro or small business owner must be declared eligible by using an instrument that CABEI has developed for the purpose. Once eligibility is confirmed, the businessman or woman, together with the non-bank financial intermediary that provides the credit, selects one or more indicators of benefits provided to biodiversity, which will subsequently be monitored to verify compliance. After compliance is verified in the field and documented by the NBFI or cooperative that provided the credit, the institution nominates the MSE to CABEI as a candidate for receiving the Bio-award. The Bank in turn verifies compliance with the selected indicators and confirms the granting of the Bio-award.